- Mayor Stothert held a press conference addressing homelessness and Mike McDonnell's comment calling city employee a 'DEI' hire
- McDonnell labeled the City's Homeless Coordinator Tamara Dwyer a 'DEI hire' and claimed he would terminate her if elected.
- Mayor Stothert and mayoral candidates John Ewing and Jasmine Harris react to the comment.
- The discussion highlights ongoing tensions in the mayoral race
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Over the weekend mayoral candidate Mike McDonnell called the city homeless coordinator a "DEI" hire and said he'd fire her if elected. Mayor Jean Stothert held a news conference to address his claim.
Watch Hannah's Story:
Saturday at a Free Speech Society forum Mayoral Candidate Mike McDonnell referred to the City of Omaha Homeless Coordinator Tamara Dwyer as a 'DEI' hire and said he'd fire her if elected. Dwyer who was in attendance confirmed the comments on her Facebook page.
Dwyer was hired by Mayor Jean Stothert in 2022. Stothert said she has helped hundreds individuals experiencing homelessness find housing.
"I am disgusted by it, to tell you the truth, because she is a woman and you know, to say a DEI because you're a woman, oh she's just a DEI hire, I think that's just a disgusting thing to say to anybody," said Mayor Stothert.
Mayor Stothert said Dwyer was hired based on merit and that she has a masters degree in social work, is a licensed mental health professional, has outreach experience and is a success story of someone who overcame homelessness.
"Mike McDonnell doesn't understand what she does. He never took time to find out what she does or her qualifications, and he hasn't seen her successes. He just made a comment because she's a woman," said Stothert.
KMTV reporter Hannah McIlree wanted to know why McDonnell felt she was a DEI hire. Tuesday she sat down with him and asked.
"A comment that you made about day one, firing Tamara Dwyer and calling her 'DEI' so why do you think that she is a DEI hire?" asked McIlree.
"You you hire people for their ability to do the work. You fire someone if they're not doing the work, and right now the proof over the last 2.5 years is that we're not getting the job done," said McDonnell.
Following Mayor Stothert's press conference McDonnell's team sent KMTV a statement:
"I have suggested that Omaha homeless services coordinator Tamara Dwyer was a diversity, equity and inclusion hire because her position was created with federal funds just 3 months after Mayor Stothert signed a DEI agreement with the National League of Cities. Additionally, Ms. Dwyer has repeatedly shared content consistent with DEI ideology, including a suggestion that homelessness in Omaha is caused by racism and white supremacy. Whether she was hired by Mayor Stothert’s DEI oLice or not, the fact remains that Omaha has the fastest growing unsheltered homeless population in the country during Ms. Dwyer’s tenure. Our city has experienced a 1200% increase in unsheltered homeless since 2013, and Ms. Dwyer has taken no meaningful action to address the more than 100 homeless encampments throughout the city. Based on the obvious lack of results, I would remove her on my first day as Mayor.”
McDonnell and incumbent Mayor Stothert are not the only names in this race. John Ewing and Jasmine Harris's names will also be on the ballot. On Tuesday, 24 hours before Mayor Stothert's news conference, KMTV asked them what they thought of the comment.
"I think that is a very tasteless comment and it, we shouldn't be focused on whether the DEI hire or not. She has expertise in working with the population. I know she's had a background with working with that population, so that to me doesn't mean it's a DEI hire," said Harris.
"I certainly also would not refer to any city employee as a DEI hire or any derogatory approach to their position, I believe that the workers in the city, the county, the state, they are the most important resource that government has and they should be treated with dignity and respect," said Ewing.
Mayor Stothert said the city will continue to prioritize providing housing and resources to the homeless community.
For more on how each of the mayoral candidates plan to address homelessness click here.
